Foundation garment and hose supporter



y 5, 7 v Ayn. LEWIS 3,509,581

FOUNDATION GARMENT AND HOSE SUPPORTER Filed March 27; I968 fiE.4 E INVENTOR.

ARTHUR H. LEW/S BY W A TTOR/VE Y States US. Cl. 2-240 7 Claims ABSTRACT OF THE DISCLOSURE A device is described for fastening stockings tofoundation garments and the like. The bottom of the foundation garment has an elastic tape and the top of the stocking has another one. A flat, essentially rigid fastener with a smooth flat shank and sideways projections atboth ends tic band of the stocking is also. engaged with the same.

fasteners is a more particular and specific embodiment fastens into loops or other small openings on the tape attached to the foundation. garment and is anchoredninto the tape on the top of the stocking. Preferably the tape on the foundation garment has openings such as loops that do not stretch as easily as the elastic band on the stocking, so that fasteners stay in the foundation garment but can easily be attached and detached ontov and out of the band on the stocking.

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION Fastening womens hosiery to garments such as girdles, foundation garments, and the like has presented'a considerable problem. The common way is to have hose supporters. However, these hose supporters are not flat, and so there is a small lump which can show through skirts ordresses, and this has'been an undesirable feature. This also allows agap of flesh between the stocking and foundation garment and unslightly folds in the welt of the stocking. It has also been proposed to have a foundation garment with a double bottom into which a stocking can be. introduced and snapped. While this is not as unsightly a projection "as ordinary hose supporters it. still can show and. the'cost of the special garment is sub- 'stantially increased. Another proposal has been to fasten hooks one band on a foundation garment which hooks can then be fastened to' 'a stocking or a band onitLThis do's'not produce as big a projection as ordinary hose supporters because the hooks are not quite as thick as the supporters but theyfare thick enough to show through skirts or dresses. There has, therefore, still remained a need for fastenings ,which'are all in one plane and which are economical and can be readily fastened by the user.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION The present invention provides an elastic band, at the bottom of the foundation garment with small openings, such as loops in a multi-ply elastic tape, through which flat fasteners having flat shanks and sideways projecting members at each end are fastened. A similar elastic band is fastened to the top of the stockings, and when the stocking is pulled up the fastener is anchored intoit. This usually causes band of stocking to lie under band of foundation garment. As the fastener is fiat and. all in one plane, there is no noticeable projection, and even with very sheer dresses the problem of unsightly bulges is completely eliminated. A secure method of connecting. is also. provided. I

It should be noted that the broad idea of fastening a stocking to a foundation. bandwith both of themahaving elastic tops is not new, but the present invention is a combination of the fiat, single-planed, substantially rigid this is new. This results in a smoothconnection prevent ing any gap of flesh and results in a continuous look as though stocking and foundation are one, an unbroken line. An important feature of the present invention is that the fasteners can be moved around the peripheries of the bands. This provides for a uniform attachment around the whole periphery of the stocking and provides the con tinuous unbroken line from the foundation garment to the foot of the stocking. This is particularly important with short skirts and dresses.

As foundation garments can be sold with the fasteners i already anchored into their loops, the combination of. one band and fastener with a garmentis also included within the broader scope of the present invention. More particularly, of course, the combination in which the elas of the invention. As the fasteners on the band attached .to the foundationgarment are detachable it is possible to remove them when the wearer is not wearing any stockings in summer. With hooks or hose supporters which were formerly used, this was not possible as they were sewed onto the band.

' The nature of the elastic band is not critical, which is an advantage as it gives the present invention a desirable versatility and flexibility. Thus the foundation garment may have a two-ply elastic band with loops through which the fasteners are fastened, and the stocking may have an open elastic weave 'with small openings, for example in the formof coarse mesh, or both may be mesh or both multi-ply fabrics with loops. The choice is dictated by relative advantages and disadvantages of the two general types of fabrics. The multi-ply fabric with loops has the advantage that the fasteners cannot easily come out.

On the other hand, such a fabric is not open mesh, which is sometimes desirable.

. In the case of the band on the stockings, a somewhat wider band of open mesh. is desirable and preferred because it permits a certain amount of adjustment since there are a number of openings and the wearer can anchor. the fasteners into the particular row of openings that .will give the best fit. In order words, varying wearers leg length and stocking length can be accommodated over a moderate range of adjustments. While the open mesh fabric can be used for attachment at the bottom of a girdle or other foundation garment, the multi-ply elastic 'fabric has advantages for this part of the invention and so is preferred, secure, comfortable, detachable, ad-

justable. It should be noted that in either case the flat fastener is in a single plane. l

The shape of the fasteners .is in no sense critical. A

I very satisfactory shape. is a flat shank with ends which fastener and the fabrics provided with openings through resemble the fiukes of an anchor, though of course they are fiat and in the same plane. This design has some advantages as it gives the maximum reliability of attachment, but the invention is in no sense limited theretoand other forms of fasteners which may, for example, have sideways projections at the ends, only to one side, and so resemble somewhat a flatcapital letter C are also useful.

In every case, of course, the shank must be substantially: flat and the projections must be in .the'saine plane so that undesirable lumps. are not produced in use. Thefmaterial of which the fasteners aremade is also not in anywsense critical; non-corrodingmetal such :as aluminum orcoated t metals are quite satisfactory, and.plasticfastenerswhich I i are firm and rigid againstsideways bending canalso be used The particular. materialto be used is thus largely} a question of economics, and this wider choice is a prac tical advantage of the invention.

- Reference hasbeen made tothere being a band, pref t erably elastic, attachedto the foundation .f garmentand another one attached to the top of the stockings. The fabrics may be produced in various ways. They may be woven, knitted, braided, and the like, and this permits a wide choice and flexibility so that the nature of the fabric can be chosen for optimum economy and comfort. Obviously, of course, the chemical nature of the band is more or less immaterial. It may be cellulosic, such as cotton or rayon, or made of various synthetic fibers, such as polyesters, nylon, acrylics, and the like. The band on i the top of the stockings should preferably be elastic, and this is also true of the band on the foundation garment although the amount of stretch is less important. On the foundation garment, of course, the fabric which has.

stretch in only one direction is suitable and in fact is somewhat preferred, whereas for the top of the stocking a band of fabric which will stretch in two directions presents some real advantages as it will adjust to the wearers movements better than a one-way stretch fabric will do. However, the latter is perfectly usefuland is included, in the broader aspects of the invention.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS FIG. 1 is a plan view of a multi-ply fabric partly broken away and folded back and attached to the bottom of a foundation garment and provided with loops through which fasteners are shown;

FIG. 2 is a similar plan view of a two-Way stretch, knit mesh fabric. Only the bottom of anchor-shaped fasteners is shown and the shank is shown as broken away since ordinarily the fastener is anchored to the band on foundation garment before being fastened to band of the stock FIG. 3 shows two bands fastened together, one attached to the garment and one to the stocking, and

FIG. 4 is an elevation, partly broken away, of a modified form of foundation garment and band.

DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS FIG. 1 shows a band 1 attached to the bottom of a foundation garment, a portion of which is shown at 7. The fabric is a multi-ply fabric with a series of loops 2 on the back or inner ply separated by portions 3 which arefastened to the ply. An anchor-shaped fastener is shown through one loop with a fiat shank portion 4 and a similar to the one on the foundation garment in FIG. 1. This gives a very smooth uniform band but the loops do not permit two-way stretch and the adjustable feature which is shown in the mesh of FIG. 2 is lacking.

FIG. 4 illustrates a different form of elastic band. This band is sewed at both edges, 15 and 16, to the inside of the legs of the garment. 'It is a one-way stretch elastic band and since it is sewed at both edges it forms with the bottom of the foundation garment a tunnel. A series of holes 17 are provided in the band and the fasteners are inserted from the back. The sideways projections of the fasteners are therefore entirely in the tunnel and are kept from touching the wearer and also are less easily detached accidentally even than is thecase with loops shown in FIGS. 1 and 3. If it is desired to remove the fasteners, for example in summer when no stockings are worn, the band can be slightly stretched enlarging the holes 17 temporarily which permits the removal of the fasteners or top sideways projections 5 and a similar anchor-shaped projection 6 at the bottom.

FIG. 2 illustrates a knitted mesh band with two selvages 8,the bottom being fastened to a stocking 9. Shown in another mesh is a different type of fiat fastener in the shape of a fiat C. This has a flat shank 14 and a top sideways projection 13 with a bottom one 12. Ordinarily one type of fastener would be chosen, but in order to illustrate the scope and economize on drawing figures two general forms of fasteners are shown on the same band. The mesh is knitted with covered elastic threads and prowides for a two-way stretch, whereas the multi-ply fabric of FIG. 1 provides stretch only in the longitudinal direction. The mesh shown in FIG. 2 is somewhat preferable for stockings as it is open and has a number of rows of openings so that the fasteners can be anchored into different rows to provide for adjustment of different wearers leg lengths and stocking lengths. in FIG. 2 the two kinds of fasteners shown anchored into various rows to provide for adjustment for wearers of different thigh length. In

order not to confuse the drawing the shanks of the fasten- This also illustrates a ,multi-ply band for stocking tops their redistribution about the periphery of the bands. The

greater permanency of location of the fasteners is often an advantage.

It is possible to provide a band similar to that shown in FIG. 4 on the top of stockings, however for use with stockings the mesh band of FIG. 2 has many advantages.

The drawings illustrate woven fabric in FIGS. 1. 3 and 4 and knitted fabric in FIG. 2. Other forms of fabric may be used for example braided fabrics. The fabrics illustrated in the drawings are merely typical examples.

I claim:

1. A foundation garment having an elastic fabric band along its bottom, the fabric band and foundation garment forming a tunnel interrupted with periodic openings, and substantially rigid, flat fasteners having a shank portion and sideways extensions at both ends all in the same plane, the sideways extensions at one end of said fasteners being fastened through the openings in the band on the foundation garment extending into the tunnel and the sideways extension at the other end of said fasteners being adapted to connect into. a corresponding band on a stocking.

2. A foundation garment according to claim 3 in which the fabric is knit.

3. A foundation garment having an elastic mesh band along its bottom, said mesh band having a series, of rows of meshes, flat fasteners having a shank portion and sideways extensions at both ends all in the same plane, the sideways extension at the top end of said fastener being dimensioned and fastened through meshes in said mesh band, the mesh band having a two-way stretch.

4. A combination of foundation garment according to claim 1 and a stock having a top elastic band with openings, the bottom sideways extensions of the fasteners being passed through the openings and locking the elastic band at the top of the stocking to the band on the foundation garment.

5. A combination according to claim 4 in which the fabric on the foundation garment is one-way stretch elastic and the elastic fabric on the stocking is a multi-row knit elastic mesh fabric.

6. A combination according to claim 1 in which both edges of the elastic band are sewed only on the inside of the garment leg portion and so forms with the garment a tunnel with periodic openings, the sideways extensions at one end of said fasteners are anchored to the bands through the openings on its inner side so that the sideways extensions on the end of each fastener are completely in the tunnel and do not encounter the skin of the wearer.

7. A foundation garment according to claim 1 in which the sideways extensions extend out sideways from the shank at both ends thereof and the elastic band is provided with horizontally spaced openings from top to bottom of dimension so that the fasteners can be inserted with sideways extension extending above the opening,

whereby when the fastener extends through an opening.

wiextensipns contactthmuppenmdge of althe op ning and hold against a direct vertical downward pull. 97,211 6/1959 France- 1,396,798 3/1965 France. References Clted 1,431,883 2/ 1966 \France.

U ITED STATES PATENTS 5 514,000 12/1930 wGermany.

:E R EIGN PATENTS; 1 

